BOSTON (AP) — The owners of the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut have found a new financial backer and are expected to apply to the state's gambling commission to build a resort in Palmer.

Mitchell Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, tells The Boston Globe (http://bo.st/100K2HQ ) the company has struck a partnership with New York investment group, Brigade Capital Management, to bankroll the development and will file its application on Monday.

He says the project would feature a hotel and spa, a gambling floor, retail stores, restaurants, and other attractions.

Don Morgan, managing member of Brigade, said in a statement that Mohegan Sun embodies "the proven model of success for gaming in New England."

Mohegan Sun joins three other companies vying to open the state's only casino in western Massachusetts.